Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 64

“I think I’ve got everything.”

Lee Han rushed through the town, his list clutched tight in his hand. He needed everything, and time was running out.

He didn’t just buy food and cloth; his shopping trip took him to the stationery store, the bookstore…

(He needed to find cheap, strong paper to fill the books.) *Maybe*, he thought, *there’s a book about illusion magic that could trick the professor?*

He also went to the crop store, wondering where he could find edible seeds and seedlings.

The shop workers stared, their eyes wide as Lee Han piled items onto the counter. One whispered to another, ‘He’s buying enough supplies to survive in the wilderness for a year!’

“Where is the stable?”

“The stable… you mean?”

Arion frowned. He remembered telling Lee Han that mounts weren’t allowed near the school. But seeing the determined look on Lee Han’s face, Arion decided not to question him. *This Wodanaz boy clearly has a plan,* Arion thought.

Amur’s stable was always busy in this town full of adventurers.

He wasn’t just dealing with horses; one moment he might be calming a nervous griffin, the next he’d be advising someone on caring for a giant beetle.

Just as the busy time was barely over, a student from the magic school came in.

‘Is he a magic school student?’

“Hello.”

“Hello. What are you looking for?”

“Are there people here who go directly to the school?”

Amur was surprised.

In fact, the student was right.

The magic school located in the mountains was a target of fear, but it wasn’t without visitors from the outside.

There were merchants contracted with the magic school who came to supply goods steadily, adventurers who came to solve quests commissioned by wizards, and sometimes, when someone caused an accident, the Imperial Emperor’s messenger would fly in like crazy.

Anyone who knew the magic school knew about the main gate – it was famous for being impossible to get through. People joked that you’d grow old and grey waiting to be allowed inside.

So, those in a hurry went underground or flew into the sky. If their identity was clearly confirmed, passage was relatively easy.

“That’s right. Why do you ask?”

“I’ll pay you, so can you help me escape on the appointed date?”

There was only one reason Lee Han came here.

‘I need to prepare for the next escape.’

It was tenacity that even the strict Headmaster, known for his skull-like face, might grudgingly respect.

On a good day using his outing pass, instead of wandering around the village and eating desserts, he was a student seriously preparing for his next escape.

And that burning sincerity was conveyed to Amur as well.

‘Amazing!’

Amur stared at Lee Han with astonished eyes.

Amur had heard the rumors of the magic school.

That it was a place of harsh education to the point where students tried to escape.

But for a fledgling magic school student to come out like this and make such a bold plan.

Not many boys among the tribes living in the roughest lands of the Empire had such courage.

‘I want to help him.’

Amur was impressed by Lee Han’s bravery. He felt a sudden urge to help this young student.

But there was a problem.

“That’s… difficult.”

“May I ask why?”

“I’ve taken guests into the magic school a few times, and the magic school’s identity verification is incredibly thorough.”

It was easier than the main gate, but the sky wasn’t easy either.

Guests approaching the magic school by flying had to stop at a designated location.

When a signal was sent, someone from the magic school would fly over to verify their identity.

If they were the person who had made an appointment in advance, they would be allowed in.

“But you said you’ve gone in before,” Lee Han said, leaning forward.

“Can’t you just say you have a reason to go in again?”

“That’s right. Getting in isn’t the problem. But the problem is getting out. The school checks the number of people when leaving as well.”

When Amur came in riding a flying eagle, they checked to see if Amur was alone on the eagle when he left.

They even used various magics to check if there was anyone hiding, so it was nearly impossible to deceive them.

Lee Han’s expression darkened after hearing the explanation.

‘Damn it. Do I have to go this far?’

The magic school’s motto should be changed to ‘Do I have to go this far’ at this point.

Amur paused, thinking. He took out a thick cigar, rolling it between his fingers. “Actually,” he said, finally lighting it, “there might be a way.”

“What way is that?”

“Find an unmanned mount inside. When I come, ride the mount you found inside and fly away with me.”

Lee Han didn’t understand.

“But… wait,” Lee Han said, confused. “If they check everyone leaving, won’t they still catch me?”

“It’s a bit different. I found out by chance… people who come from the outside are thoroughly checked even when they leave, but when people living inside leave, they don’t check that thoroughly.”

Professors also went out, so they didn’t check that thoroughly when people living inside left.

When Amur happened to go out with one of the professors, Amur was inspected several times, but the professor was sent out without even being looked at.

“Of course, the chances of getting caught will increase if you go out alone. But if you go out with me when I come in, the attention will be on me. That seems to be the only way.”

‘Damn it. Can I get an unmanned mount inside the school?’

He wanted to steal a mount with an owner, but…

“I’m saying this just in case, but don’t even think about stealing a mount with an owner.”

“Of course. I have no intention of doing such a thing.”

Amur smiled satisfactorily at Lee Han’s answer and nodded.

“That’s right. Forcibly separating an owner from their mount is a barbaric and cruel act.”

Lee Han almost argued, thinking about alarms and angry wizard owners. *Wizard mounts must have protections,* he thought. But Amur seemed pleased, so Lee Han just nodded and kept quiet.

There were still many worrying points, but… this was the best plan he had right now.

Lee Han refused to think like that. He wouldn’t let doubts stop him.

‘I’m going to do it. If that’s the only way to get out!’

“…Thank you,” Lee Han said, bowing his head slightly. “I’m counting on you.”

“I knew it!” Amur chuckled. “There’s something different about you. I could see it in your eyes right away. From now on, I’ll go to the school every two weeks, at midnight on Saturday. If you’ve prepared a mount, come to the stable at the top of the school tower. I’ll wait for an hour each time I come. If you bring it, we’ll leave together.”

Lee Han nodded and suddenly became curious.

Even though he was giving money, it was too much trouble for this stable owner to handle.

He didn’t even know if Lee Han would come out each time, but he would come and wait for an hour.

“But… please forgive me if this is a rude question. Why are you helping me so much?”

At Lee Han’s question, Amur scratched his beard and smiled.

“The school is tormenting students like you with ridiculous and harsh rules. In my hometown, we hate such rules. Seeing a student fighting back like this, I couldn’t just stand by.”

“…Thank you!”

Lee Han felt a surge of hope. *Maybe,* he thought, *there are still good people in the world, even outside the school walls.*

The time for the outing pass was running out.

He had to calculate the time to return, so there wasn’t much time left.

‘There’s one more place to stop by.’

Lee Han hurried away.

It was Illusion Magician Valdororn’s Workshop.

Not all wizards obtained imperial positions and lived as civil servants.

Some wizards received and solved quests with adventurers, and some wizards set up workshops in villages and lived off various commissions.

The place Lee Han was going to now was one of those workshops.

Valdororn was taken aback by the student’s arrival.

No matter how he looked at it, he was a student from the magic school.

‘Why is a magic school student coming here?’

Valdororn was a wizard whose maximum magic was 3rd circle. This was about the level of a 2nd or 3rd grader in magic school.

There were several great wizards inside, but he was coming to Valdororn’s workshop.

Moreover, judging from the other person’s atmosphere, he didn’t seem like an ordinary nobleman.

From the way he spoke to his appearance and gait, great nobles couldn’t hide it no matter how ragged they dressed.

“What brings you… here?”

“I came for a consultation about magic.”

Valdororn was surprised.

*Is he here to cause trouble?* Valdororn wondered. *Maybe he thinks my magic isn’t good enough for a school student.*

“Tell me.”

Valdororn had already taken the student’s money for a consultation, so he nodded and prepared to listen.

“I… I need to get into a tower,” Lee Han began, a little nervously. “And I heard it’s protected by magic, to keep people out. Since you’re an illusion magic expert, I thought maybe you’d know something about that kind of thing?”

Valdororn stared at him, surprised. *He’s talking about the school tower!*

Looking again, Lee Han’s clothes were those of a first-year student. Valdororn was even more surprised.

So, this first-year student had not only escaped the school, but now he was trying to break into a tower *inside* the school?

‘…He’s going to be a great wizard in the future!’

Valdororn was just amazed.

Valdororn remembered his own student days, filled with more slacking off than studying…

“The types of magic that prevent intruders are countless. No wizard can grasp all magic. A great wizard can recognize the structure of such prevention magic, and an even greater wizard can reverse and undo it, but…”

Valdororn trailed off.

This was a matter of knowledge and experience, apart from talent.

A great safecracker had the blueprints of thousands, tens of thousands of locks in their head.

As such, even when they encountered a lock for the first time, they could quickly grasp its structure by comparing it with existing lock blueprints.

Breaking through magic that prevents intruders was similar.

You had to have hundreds of prevention magics commonly used in the Empire in your head to be able to recognize ‘This is a mix of which spells’ or ‘This is similar to which spell’ even when you encountered magic for the first time.

No genius could simply undo prevention magic without knowledge and experience.

“This kind of magic needs a lot of experience to deal with. Even if I told you some spells, you probably couldn’t undo them without years of practice. But… instead of undoing it, you could try to *break* the magic.”

Valdororn stopped talking.

He realized he’d just said something crazy.

Undoing magic elegantly and quietly was, of course, a more magically difficult task.

But breaking magic was by no means an easy task either.

In some ways, it could be said to be more difficult.

If it was magic cast within the magic school, the amount of magical power would be considerable, so you would have to strike it with such a huge force that the solid structure supporting the magic would be shaken.

But where would a student get *that* kind of power?

“…No. I misspoke. This is a ridiculous method.”

“No, wait,” Lee Han said quickly, leaning forward. “Please, tell me more about this… breaking method.”

“?!!”